Gallery » EUROPE/AFRICA/ MIDDLE EAST » Round the World 2018 - Europe » Dublin 2018 » Wednesday, 31 October - City Hall & Dublin Castle
Happy Halloween! Everyone in the city seemed to be celebrating the holiday (perhaps it’s a good excuse to enjoy a pint in a pub). Anyway, the day was mostly sunny and a bit warmer so we decided to make it another full day out.
As always, we walked to St. Stephen’s Green and went through it to reach the Grafton Street pedway. We walked up the pedway and then turned off to reach Dame Street where we located the City Hall building which was built in 1779. It’s a beautiful structure and its lower level has been changed from a storage area to an exhibition regarding the history of Dublin. We found it to be fascinating and a great way to learn about this city. We didn’t realize it had a strong Viking influence.
After leaving City Hall, we took a short walk to the nearby Dublin Castle. Here we took a guided tour of the Castle which was very informative. We met inside the State Rooms but then ventured outside to areas not open except on a guided tour. We began with the remains of the Powder Keg tower. It was interesting that during an excavation archeologists discovered the remains of a Viking defensive wall almost immediately under the Power Keg tower. We guess everyone thought this was a secure place to be. Afterwards, we passed by an archway that had to be filled with brick due to the rising of the River Poddle in earlier times. Finally, we saw the original entry stairs to the Castle that came up from the River Poddle. That river was used as a sewage outlet for the city and if one didn’t have the proper password to enter the Castle, you were tossed into the waste. Yikes!
After leaving that area, we went to the Chapel Royal. There has been a chapel at Dublin Castle since at least 1242. The present chapel was opened, as the Anglican chapel of the Viceroy, on Christmas Day 1814. It became known as the Chapel Royal after King George IV attended service on 2 September 1821.
Following Irish independence in 1922, it lay dormant before becoming a Roman Catholic Church in 1943. It is now deconsecrated. The galleries and stained glass windows are ornamented with coats of arms representing many of Ireland’s Viceroys.
Next, we returned to the State Apartments. The State Apartments dominate the southern area of the Upper Courtyard of the Castle. They were built as the residential and public quarters of the court. They are now used for presidential inaugurations and various functions.
It was now late afternoon so we returned back to the apartment. En route we briefly stopped by a mall to warm up a bit. Once back to the apartment, Ed prepared a dinner of green beans and pasta. Yummy! Click on the first image to begin.
